As is known, burial caskets may have hinged tops sealed to a body portion of the casket by a plurality of locking projections that extend downwardly from a front portion of a lower rim of the top. When the top is in a closed position, the locking projections extend through associated openings in a front portion of an upper rim of a base of the casket, and are engaged by a locking bar.
The locking bar is located below the upper rim of the base, within a cavity of the base. The locking bar moves horizontally and includes a plurality of locking projection catches with cam surfaces that engage the locking projections pulling the top downwardly into a sealed, locked position. Preferably, the top and/or base include elastomeric seals along the rims thereof, which seals are compressed during locking.
The casket may also include an elongated J-shaped channel extending substantially along the entire length of the front portion of the upper rim of the base, which J-shaped channel provides a means for affixing decorative material to the interior of the casket. The J-shaped channel has an elongated hanger-supporting member affixed to the lower surface of the upper rim of the base. The J-shaped channel also includes a decorative material-supporting portion depending downwardly from the hanger-supporting member.
An elongated U-shaped portion is affixed to the decorative material-supporting portion and includes an opening in the interior of the casket for supporting fastening material, such as paper or cardboard, or the like, suitable for the attachment and support of decorative material thereto, such as by staples, nails, tacks, or the like.
The hanger-supporting member includes a plurality of openings aligned with the openings in the upper rim of the base to permit the locking projections to pass therethrough.
The locking bar is suspended within the cavity by a plurality of hangers spaced at intervals along the length thereof. Each hanger includes a downwardly-depending U-shaped portion and a pair of opposed, horizontal flanges extending outwardly from upper ends of the U-shaped portion.
The horizontal flanges of each hanger are fixedly connected to a lower surface of the hanger-supporting member by spot welding, such that the hanger-supporting member is disposed intermediate the lower surface of the upper rim of the base and the opposed, horizontal flanges of the hangers.
Fasteners, such as screws or bolts, or the like, are directed through the upper rim of the base into the hanger-supporting member to affix the hanger-supporting member underneath the upper rim of the base. This construction requires the hangers to be affixed to the hanger-supporting member prior to mounting the hanger-supporting member to the base and may produce unreliable results. The present invention improves upon this construction, as is described in detail below.
The locking bar is moved horizontally between unlocked and locked positions by manual or powered rotation of a screw mechanism accessible from an exterior of the casket. The screw mechanism is rotated by a removable crank that engages a socket in an exposed end of the screw mechanism. The screw mechanism of the present invention also improves upon this construction, as described below.